United We Cure is a charity album aiming to collect funds for the battle
against breast cancer. But you only have to look at the artist list to realise why
such a charity album is about the hottest thing we have in quality soul/jazz music
at the moment. Rex Rideout has produced the whole album.

The album starts with a couple of tracks that try to attract R&B generation,
though. Both Lalah Hathaway and Rashaan Patterson are one of the best soul
singers of this millennium, but for some reason Rex Rideout has chosen to set the
twosome into a trendy programmed R&B backdrop.
The following cut Believe It by sax player
Paul Taylor opens in an equally dismal R&B tone, but turns into a passable
David Sanborn-ish midtempo jam.

Hil St. Soul already has a chance to sing in a more relaxed atmosphere
on Silver Lining, and Brian Culbertson'sLife Line follows in
the manner of his own albums. Nice to hear some real horn section over Brian's vibrant
piano soloing, too. Eric Darius is another smooth jazz player,
blowing serene tenor sax on Jean Marie's Groove.

My personal favorite on the album is the Kindred the Family Soul contribution
Everything I Need, which has a wonderful organic neo-soul feel and especially
Fatin Dantzler is in terrific vocal form, tearing down the soulful melody
written by the husband-and-wife duo together with Rideout. Kindred has recorded
some of the best soul songs in last ten years, and this tune definitely belongs to
the duo's finest recordings. This is a track that cannot be easily passed
while choosing the best soul tracks of this year.

Another real gem on the album is the Will Downing track Fly Higher,
which is a 100 % proof that Will Downing is back in business, and his recent illness
simply does not have any effect on his music any more. This is the kind of
classy-in-the-extreme jazzy soul that I'd love Will to record also in the future;
Gary Taylor, Will
himself and Rex have written the stylish tune, and the background features
real drums by Michael White, Red Rideout on keyboards and
Michael Ripoli providing the classy guitar lines.

I really enjoyed some of the tracks on Leigh Jones debut album
Music in My Soul, and she certainly deserves a chance to show off her
talents on this collection as well, although Like a Diamond does not
match the prime cuts on her own set.

The tracks by Mindi Abair, Gail Jhonson and Wayman Tisdale
represent a more typcial smooth jazz sound of today, but Norman Brown'sWait on Water has a bit more elegance, and Euge Groove demonstrates
on City of Hope that his music still has more groove
than most of his competitors' performances.- Ismo Tenkanen
Soul Express
editor